Ohio State Football: Urban Meyer’s Biggest National Signing Day Battles

Ohio State is on the verge of securing one of the top recruiting classes in the country, and with national signing day fast approaching, a trio of recruiting battles are heating up for Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes.

Two undecided prospects will visit Columbus this weekend to get a closer look at Ohio State, while one of the Buckeyes’ current commits appears to be wavering on his verbal pledge.

These three players are imperative for Ohio State—and not just because of their talent. The Buckeyes only have two or three scholarships remaining, so finding the right players to finish the class, while maintaining one of their prized prospects, is a top priority.

Malik McDowell

Ohio State is absolutely loaded along the defensive line, but that didn’t stop Meyer from securing pledges from a pair of defensive ends in Jalyn Holmes and Dylan Thompson.

The Buckeyes are going for the hat trick with 5-star prospect Malik McDowell.

The Detroit native has offers from schools such as Alabama, Florida, LSU, Notre Dame and USC, but he’s down to a final four of Florida State, Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State.

According to Jeremy Birmingham of Eleven Warriors, Meyer visited McDowell’s high school on Monday and persuaded him to visit Ohio State instead of LSU this weekend.

As it stands now, Michigan State is the overwhelming favorite, according to 247Sports’ Crystal Ball. If the Buckeyes make a good impression on McDowell—and more importantly…